This Time
by JacklynK
Summary: One of the oldest stories in the book, picks up after Dark Fury. Jack learns how to cope, and Riddick learns how to love. R&R please, I love to hear how I can improve. [abandoned]
1. Chapter 1

Hey, y'all, it's my first story in a while, so tell me what you think, and please correct me if I get any technicalities wrong, it's been forever since I've seen Dark Fury and I never read the book. And always, never sugarcoat anything, I love to know how I can improve. Especially if you think I'm going off track with Riddick, please tell me if he's talking too much or getting too fluffy, I absolutely hate soft, I-love-you-so-much Riddick stories.

I don't own anything, blah blah blah, let's move on.

* * *

Riddick sat at the controls of the skiff, face in hands. Jack had finally passed out, still clutching the gun, and Imam was long gone. He looked through his fingers at the navigation controls and sighed… _got to. If I drop them off now, she'll just follow me, however weak she may be. I can't leave her like this. Not after all she's been through. _Moving reluctantly, Riddick changed the controls to Helion IV. Backwoods, but not so removed that people would go looking for him there. Give her some adjustment time, make sure she'll recover, and then he'll go and let Imam finish his hajj, take the girl somewhere bright and normal. She'll go to school, have friends, come home to a house and a family. She'll forget him, grow up quietly, marry some fuck, and that will be that.

Riddick turned the chair to face the girl. _Do you really think it'll happen that way? _He had induced a twelve-year-old girl to kill a man for him. That was his kill, and the twitching little body in that cot was his responsibility. That much devotion… The same determination had been in Carolyn's face, but that hadn't been for him. He was a cold-blooded killer, no one could possibly care that much. Not for him…

Riddick woke with a start, trying to remember how he had fallen asleep. "'More tired than I thought," he rumbled softly. The sound woke the girl, who's opening eyes first saw the gun cradled in her arms. She shoved it violently onto the floor, her face horrified. Jack lay shivering, now completely alone, and turned her eyes up to Riddick. Her eyes held so much pain, but she didn't say a word. Riddick couldn't take it any more.

"Come here, Jack." He said, straightening up. She crawled off her cot and onto his lap. He felt her warm little hand take a handful of his shirt, and warm tears fell onto his chest.

"He was right there, and I shot him. All of a sudden sound and he was all distorted. So much blood… And then just a hideous husk, it wasn't even him… I…" Her voice drifted off miserably, and Riddick rubbed her back the way he had seen a mother do once. Should she assure her of why she had to do it? No, no, he can't let her get any closer to him. She has to forget about him, then she can forget about the whole thing, and-

"But I had to, didn't I? He would have killed you… that would have been your body. I had to do it, right?" She turned her face up to him, begging him.

"He'd have killed me," he agreed as reasonably as he could. "And you'd still be on that ship." She closed her eyes and curled up tighter in his lap, still crying miserably. Riddick tried one more time to comfort her. "Never be sorry for a merc, Jack." Slowly, she drifted off to sleep, but he thought he heard her breathe the words "don't you dare" before fading away.

Riddick put a huge hand over Jack's already spiky head and closed his eyes. Somehow, in less than one standard day, Carolyn had taken a killer and a kid and made them family. It was as if he was still lying in the mud, being _ordered_ to care. He had gone through the motions of exerting control over the situation, but really what she had done wasn't knocking Riddick to the ground. She did what she had to in order to get his attention, but she showed him what being human was. It was love. Now, he didn't know if that was what he felt for this kid, but, if for no one's sake but Carolyn's, god help anyone who would want to hurt her.

Riddick sat like this and thought, about the flying fuck trying to get at her, the monster and the ball, the man's gun at her head. He thought about how that could have gone if he hadn't been there. _It wouldn't have happened at all. She needs to be stronger, but what she really deserves is to be away from me. She hears everything I say, and she's not going to just let go. Gotta ease out of it, teach her how to handle it. With a real life, she'll realize there's better things, better people. _

And he knew it was right. Riddick knew that the longer he spent with her, the more danger she was in and the harder it would be to draw it away from her. But he couldn't help but wish that she would always need him like this, and he would always be there. He had never felt this furious need to protect something… Riddick followed her to sleep, his arms still wrapped protectively around her.


	2. Chapter 2

Jack and Riddick sat in the intended dining room of the new house that Imam had bought, cross-legged on the padded floor. Jack was still amazed at the transformation of a respectable dining room into a training floor. Riddick watched her eyes rove curiously over the weapons rack for a moment, wondering if he was doing the right thing. Such a young kid… _Got to._ He opened his mouth to speak, but she beat him to it.

"Riddick, what are we doing here? I don't want violence, why do I need to be here?"

He spoke slowly, trying to be as tactful as possible. "You've been through a lot, Jack, but it's not gonna stop. I'll have to run soon-"

"No, Riddick, you can't! You can't leave me, I'll do anything-"

Riddick spoke over her. "I'll have to run soon, but that won't make you safe."

"Well, then why go? If it won't ch-"

"You stay with me, you spend your life hiding. You may be able to survive, but that would be all you could do." She seemed about to argue again, but stopped when he started reaching up to his face. Riddick pulled his goggles back over his eyes and growled, "You deserve better." _The topic is closed,_ the action said, and she heard it loud and clear. Finally Jack was silenced, but the defiance in her eyes showed that she was willing to do it. Her posture and her smell said she didn't care, she would follow him whether he liked it or not. _Damn it._ He dropped it for the time being, and pushed on with the lesson.

"We will work on your awareness, armed and unarmed combat, and improvisation. I will teach you to use all senses at all times. We will have planned training sessions as well as random tests of skill." He said as he stood up and walked behind her. Jack whirled to look at his face. "What do you mean, random tests?"

"When I think you're ready, you'll be ambushed at any time. It'll keep you on your guard. Now stand." He ordered. She stared at him incredulously, but he leveled his eyes at her and waited her out. Finally, she scrambled to her feet.

"We start with rear defense." he began. "Turn around."

* * *

Imam stormed furiously into Riddick's bedroom. "What have you done to the dining room?" he demanded. Riddick didn't even look up from his boot polish. "'Something to occupy her mind," he rumbled. "That is exactly," Imam retorted, "why she will be going to school." Riddick slowly and menacingly stood up and looked Imam in the eye.

"She's not ready."

"But she is ready to play with knives?" he shot back. "I am enrolling her in school, and you are removing those weapons from my home." He scornfully indicated the intimidating gauge on Riddick's belt. Imam turned to leave, but heard a surprisingly terrifying whisper of metal on leather and froze before even registering his own fear. Elimam mustered the courage to turn. He flinched back involuntarily from the sight of the business end of a gun inches from him, but his face hardened right back as if it wasn't even there. It was the face of a father, Riddick realized. A real father, the kind he could never be.

"You would not kill me." Imam chided bravely. Riddick grasped vaguely that his was not the right response, but his hands remained steady. Long years had cut his muscles from his mind, and all his body knew was the thing in its sights was a threat to the only thing he had. Although Riddick's killer expression didn't change, and the gun barrel shifted to the muscle of Imam's leg with no sign of effort. Imam's eyes widened._ My God, he is actually going to shoot._

"We will not be found on this planet." Riddick stated flatly, "The girl is not going to school. And you will deal with the guns and be thankful for your life." Imam looked at Riddick warily. "You cannot keep her, Mr. Riddick." he chastised him.

For a long moment nothing changed, as if Riddick was considering how to respond. Finally, he holstered the gun. "You can enroll her when I'm gone." Riddick was suddenly thankful for the goggles obscuring his expression, and was careful not to move discernibly as he raised his eyes to meet Imam's. "But give us both this time, Holy Man. I'll be out of the way soon."

* * *

Well, I finally figured out a suitable title, thanks for the help y'all. I would have had this up earlier, but I refused to put a second chapter on a story with no name. Anyway, please review! You don't have to sugarcoat anything, I love to hear how I can improve.

-Jacklyn


	3. Chapter 3

Jack pressed her ear to the wall, straining to hear what was going on in Riddick's room. She felt vaguely guilty that she wasn't sleeping as she had been told to do, and she knew that she'd pay for it in the morning. _But, _she thought, _he told me to stay alert of danger, too. _She had heard Imam come home from the market, and then storm into Riddick's room seconds later. And although no words would come through the wall, the tone was clear enough. Imam doesn't approve, and Riddick doesn't care.

Imam's slippered footsteps padded past her room and downstairs, and even she could tell that his walk had changed. He wasn't as sure of himself. _He lost, of course. You don't argue with Riddick._ Motion in Riddick's room had stopped, _or He's just too quiet, _she added to herself. She shifted to rest her back against the wall and hugged her knees, staring absently through her obnoxiously feminine bed, thinking.

_A smile spreads over Shazza's face at her offer to help, and she slaps a cutting torch into her hand in the semidarkness of the skiff. Her heart begins to fill with childish eager happiness. As she carefully follows instructions, and odd sound makes her look over her shoulder curiously. There, again, a footstep. She shuts off the valve, only to hear the unimportant gunshot of the lights going out._

_Suddenly crouched in the damp, cold crevice, and strong hands roll the stone over her tomb. (_he's protecting us, he's just protecting us, he'll be back in a second, you'll see_) But not everyone's locked inside… Shazza's screams punch through the cracks and fill the cave and her mind with –_

_The thing at her feet, head blown open, screaming. (_i'msorry, i – i didn't mean it_) Blood spreads unimportantly over the metal floor, slick like a sickness, and sanguine accusations are splattered everywhere. She opens her mouth in horror and apology, and sharp hurtful hands snatch her from behind. Her eyes snap up to Riddick, the killer, the reason for it all, the protecting god. His goggled eyes watch her in vague disgust, and he smiles his approval at the mercs tearing at her body. She adds her own screams, trying at least to drown out the dying woman. (coward! killer, it's just what you deserve, so) (_I only did what I had to, right? Right, Riddi-_) (you take what's coming to you, you little bitch! Stop looking at him, he's) (_it's not true_) (not going to help you, he doesn't care_

The door slammed open and she lurched awake, only realizing that she had actually been screaming as it stopped. Her opening eyes first saw Riddick, his ferocious stance disintegrating as he realized that there was no one here to kill. He looked back down at Jack, really looked, and realized she was absolutely ashamed. Tears ran unchecked, and her face pleaded to him with her all too familiar 'don't leave me' face. _Why would I be leaving?_ But before any words could be passed, Imam finally made it up to the room and rushed to the girl's side.

"What is it, my child? What are you doing on the floor?" He glanced mistrustfully at the knife-wielding convict now looking very out of place in a crying young girl's bedroom. He helped her up and to her bed, burying her huddled little body in the folds of his robes as he wrapped his arms around her and softly told her all the somehow necessary empty promises of it's okay you're fine I'm here for you. He asked her comfortingly what had happened, eyes flicking expectantly towards Riddick. _And what could I have done to her, you -_

Through his robes, she muttered "Nothing, just a dream." Riddick realized suddenly that her tears were out of shame rather than fear or… whatever it is that makes people cry. Imam continued to give comfort, but Jack turned her head and looked to Riddick, still standing, shiv in hand, across the room. He knew that he should have some kind of reaction, but he was drawing a blank on what to do. His expressionless face was hurting her, somehow, she was starting to cry again. _Fuck…_

Riddick strode forward and reached for the girl. "What are you doing!" Imam protested. Without answering, Riddick took her up in his arms and proceeded to carry her out of the room. Imam pursued, rounding the corner just in time to see Riddick set her down softly in his own bed.

"I forbid it!" he snapped "It is inappropriate!"

"And what are you gonna do about it?" Riddick snarled, rounding on him protectively. Imam opened his mouth to speak, but wisely decided against it. He looked over Riddick's shoulder at her, already snuggled under the covers and smiling gratefully at Riddick's back.

"You are a grown man, -"

" 'Better idea?" he interrupted, "The first time she's alone, she gets screaming fits. Would it be more 'appropriate' to sleep with you?" Imam could hear the thinly concealed rage in his voice, how all expression died except distant sarcasm. He realized for the second time that day that he was in real mortal danger from this man. And for the girl to see that, it only destroyed his authority and reinforced violence in her. Imam's defiant father-face returned and he decided to take action.

"Mr. Riddick, I must speak with you, downstairs, please."

Okay, I know this entire chapter is really awkwardly written and I'm trying to tweak it, but I'm fixing the other ones as well now, so it may take a bit. But yeah, review y'all!


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